This past month, the Greater Palm Bay Chamber welcomed our new slate of officers and directors at our annual awards dinner and were treated to keynote speaker John Walsh, chief executive officer for Port Canaveral.

Walsh spoke of the phenomenal plans for our port and how the growth and prosperity affects our entire economy.

It was a compelling talk and all in attendance were drawn in by his enthusiasm and encouraging words for Brevard County moving forward.

Realizing Brevard is very long, we sometimes hear complaints about having such a spread-out county and some try to create dividing lines, citing that the north part of the county is so vastly different than the central or south end.

We don’t agree necessarily.

We feel we are fortunate to have many attributes on the Space Coast that all of us can share. We’re the only county with a space center and a port to go along with the beaches, great weather and the many outdoor activities enjoyed by other Florida counties. In fact, we frequently tell visitors the best way to visit Key West is to take a cruise and avoid the eight-hour drive through congested South Florida.

As county leaders lay the groundwork for the transportation needs of 2020 and beyond, surely they will research a plan that involves traveling from one end of Brevard to the other, reducing the time from a two-hour round trip.

This past year, with the record-breaking cold to the North, we’ve seen an increase in visitors to our area looking to enjoy the Florida sunshine for vacation or relocation.

Many stop by the local chambers in search of information and we’re all too happy to point them to the area attractions, such as Turkey Creek, Brevard Zoo, Kennedy Space Center and Port Canaveral.

In our eyes, all are part of our Brevard family and we’re excited that we have unique attractions to steer them to visit and enjoy.